M52B body armor: Difference between revisions

[[File:Marine halo 2.png|250px|thumb|right|A Marine wearing the M52B body armor with the CH252 helmet.]]

The '''M52B Body Armor''' is an armored protective vest worn by members of the [[UNSC Marine Corps]]. It is a key component of the [[UNSC Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform|Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform]].<ref>'''Halo 2''', [[List of UNSC crates|crates]]</ref> It is usually worn with the [[CH252 Helmet]] for greater ballistic protection. Nicknames for the body armor include BA, BO, Gear, and Shell.<ref name="HE">'''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]''', ''page 49''</ref>

==Description==

The M52B body armor consists of 14.5 lb (6.58 kg) of olive-green armor plating over [[Fatigues|combat fatigues]].<ref name="HE"/> The body armor is worn like a vest over the torso, and seemingly consists of two parts. A number of ammunition pockets, holsters, and other features can be attached to the armor.

The M52B armor is extremely resilient against ballistic weaponry, though it can easily be damaged by [[plasma weaponry]]. The armor consists of several layers, some of which include a ballistic shock-absorbing gel layer and a heat reduction gel layer to help reduce velocity and felt shock from ballistics, shrapnel, and explosives as well as reducing the burn caused by plasma once it reaches flesh. This heat reduction layer also reduces the chance of the plasma penetrating by counter-acting and dissipating the heat, effectively disarming the blast. While this armor protects the wearer from harm caused by weaponry it also has temperature-regulation units integrated into it to keep the wearer at optimum performance while eliminating the need to change depending on the environment. This also reduces the enemies ability to track soldiers via thermal energy as it is mostly hidden beneath this armor.<ref>'''Halo Encyclopedia''', ''page ???''</ref>

The armor used in training officer cadets at the [[Corbulo Academy of Military Science]] appeared to be a smaller, lighter version of the standard M52B armor and bore the Academy's emblem on the chest plate. It shared the shoulder pauldrons of the full-sized model.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca3Y8Ws3plI '''Youtube''' ''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Official Full-length Trailer'']</ref>

 

==Service history==

[[File:Body armor frontback.png|250px|thumb|Frontal and rear views of the M52B armor.]]

The earliest known use of the M52B armor was during the [[Harvest Campaign]] in [[2531]], though its service was seemingly very limited.<ref>'''Halo Legends:''' ''Homecoming''</ref><ref>[[Ralph-303]] and [[Hauser]], who wore M52B body armor during the Harvest Campaign, were killed by a [[Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon]]. This weapon was first encountered in 2531; the campaign ended around late February 2531.</ref> Marine personnel were equipped with the M52B body armor during the [[Battle of Kholo]] in [[2539]],<ref>''The Return'' motion comic</ref> during the [[Battle of Algolis]], which occurred at an unknown point in the war,<ref>'''Halo Legends:''' ''Prototype''</ref> and during an inspection of the prison barge ''[[Mona Lisa]]'' in [[2552#October|October 2552]].<ref>''The Mona Lisa'' motion comic</ref> However, the armor is not known to have seen widespread use until the [[Battle of Earth]], which began on October 20, 2552.

 

Prior to the adoption of the M52B, a [[UNSC Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform#Insurrection and early Human-Covenant War|different body armor system]] was used with the UNSC Marine Corps BDU during the [[Insurrection]] and the early years of the [[Human-Covenant War]]<ref name="Origins">'''Halo Legends:''' ''Origins''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo Wars]]'''</ref>; by the summer of 2552, this system had been replaced - at least on the planet [[Reach]] - by [[UNSC Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform#Cross-branch BDU|another body armor model]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Reach]]'''</ref><ref>'''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'''</ref> It is likely that Marine forces on [[Earth]] had already been outfitted with the M52B armor by this time, as it was ubiquitous during the Battle of Earth, which began two months after the [[Fall of Reach]].[[File:Armor Label.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Label of the M52B in a crate containing the armor.]]

*''[[Halo: Uprising]]''